Urban One’s Cathy Hughes on the Importance of ‘Creating Your Own Table’

Cathy Hughes broke the glass ceiling in 1980 when she founded the media company Radio One, starting with Washington, D.C. AM talk outlet WOL. Nearly 40 years later, Hughes presides as chairperson of Urban One Inc., the umbrella entity for Radio One (now the largest African American-owned-and-operated radio chain), sister television network TV One and Reach Media, among other divisions.

As Black Music Month 2018 comes to a close, Hughes reflects on lessons learned during her game-changing entrepreneurial journey and paying it forward to the next generation of African American music industry executives and entrepreneurs. “Among the many lessons that I have learned,” writes Hughes, “none is as poignant and relevant as the importance of creating your own table. It is critical.”